Nutmeg Mill

Spices are at their best when they are fresh. I find that this is especially true of nutmeg, a spice that is often called for in baking in only small amounts. Its delicate, peppery flavor begins to dissipate shortly after it has been grated and you won’t get the same result with previously ground nutmeg. Whole nutmegs are easy to find in most grocery and kitchen stores and can keep for years in a cool, dark place, so all you need to have is a grater on hand and you can have fresh nutmeg for a batch of eggnog anytime!You can use a microplane to grate nutmeg, but I really like nutmeg mills for this spice. Nutmeg mills are built to both store whole nutmegs and grind them. They’re usually round and have a handle on top, which turns whole nutmegs against a blade to grind out just as much as you need at a time. A few turns of the handle and you have plenty of fresh, spicy nutmeg for most recipes. I like the fact that mills store the whole nutmegs, so it’s very convenient to just pull my mill out of my cabinet when I need it and I don’t need to look for either a bottle of nutmegs or a microplane – plus, there is nothing to clean after using.